SACRAMENTO -
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) today announced a $20,000 settlement
with the Arden Group, Inc of Compton over Los Angeles-area sales at Gelson's
and Mayfair markets of hair spray products that violated state air rules.
Arden Group is the parent corporation of Gelson's and Mayfair.

The settlement stems from
investigations in 1994 and 1995 when ARB inspectors found Gelson's and
Mayfair markets in Century City, Encino, Hollywood, North Hollywood, and
Tarzana selling hair spray and other hair-care products that exceeded state
limits for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs react in the atmosphere
to form ground-level ozone, the major component of smog.

"One individual
can of hair spray contributes only tiny amounts of pollutants to California's
skies," said ARB Chairman John Dunlap. "But when we take these
consumer products as a whole, they add tons of pollutants to our air each
day."

ARB inspectors found
more than 200 containers of hair care products at the markets that either
lacked proper label codes or exceeded state standards, which limit hair
spray products to no more than 80 percent VOCs. Information from invoices,
however, indicated that approximately 10,000 containers of the hair care
products may have been involved in the violations.

In the settlement agreement,
Arden Group Inc. agreed not to sell in California any consumer product
that does not meet state air regulations.

New standards to take
effect in June 1999 will cut the allowable level of VOCs in hair spray
to 55 percent.

Last July the ARB adopted
new standards for 18 categories of consumer products that include more
than 3,000 individual products. These include auto wax, rubbing and polishing
compounds, carpet and upholstery cleaners, floor wax strippers and spot
removers. As the new regulations are phased in through 2005, emissions
from these products will be reduced by about 16 tons per day.

The July action followed
regulations that will reduce air emissions in 28 other consumer products.
"We face federal and state clean-air deadlines that force us to examine
every product that creates smog-forming emissions and see if it is economically
feasible to reduce those emissions," Dunlap said.

The Air Resources
Board is a department of the California Environmental Protection Agency.
ARB's mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and ecological
resources through effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing
and considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air pollution
control efforts in California to attain and maintain health based air quality
standards.